Some banknote handling apparatuses used as, for example, an automated teller machine (ATM) include banknote storage apparatuses that store banknotes collected from the banknote handling apparatuses. This type of the banknote storage apparatus includes, for example, a carry-in mechanism for carrying in banknotes and a storage mechanism having a storage space that stores banknotes carried in by the carry-in mechanism.
As a banknote storage apparatus of related art, a configuration is known in which the storage space for storing banknotes is divided into two spaces and the banknotes are stored by being pushed into the respective storage spaces by the storage mechanism.
Patent Literature 1: International Publication Pamphlet No. WO 2013/014698
Incidentally, in order to efficiently collect the banknotes stored in the banknote storage apparatus, it is desirable to secure a large storage space for storing banknotes. When the large storage space is secured, the banknotes are sequentially stored from one end side to the other end side in one storage space. In this case, for example, a storage mechanism that pushes banknotes from one end side of the storage space into the storage space and that stores them, is used such as the banknote storage apparatus of related art. In such a storage mechanism, when a plurality of types of banknotes with different sizes are mixed and stored in the storage space, there is a possibility of occurrence of so-called jamming, in which the banknotes collide with each other and become clogged at the time of pushing the banknotes into the storage space.
Therefore, a configuration is proposed in which the whole of the secured large storage space is divided to provide a plurality of storage spaces and banknotes are carried in each storage space. However, in the configuration that has a plurality of storage spaces, a carry-in mechanism, which includes carry-in paths for carrying banknotes into and storing them in the storage spaces, is provided in each storage space. For this reason in the configuration using the storage spaces, a space occupied by the carry-in mechanism with respect to the inner space of the banknote storage apparatus is increased, and the inner space is not effectively used as the storage space, which makes it difficult to efficiently store the banknotes in the inner space.